Today was a good day. Jackie is all better and back by Rafi’s side. I am sitting at home sipping a 21 year old single malt scotch, compliments of a buddy from New York. A dear friend from Boston sent us a great care package of cookies, hand lotion and a little pink dog for Rafi that their young son picked out. A few days ago we got a great care package from the mothers in Rafi’s play group at home. They sent pictures of all her friends and the requisite cookies. The pictures are up on the wall so Rafi can see them whenever she wants. Another dear friend sent us a collage that is also up on the wall. It’s nice to have all the pictures up because we can make the hospital room a bit more homey. But most important, Rafi is quite happy because her best friend, Emily, Jackie’s sister, is in town for the week. When Emily is around the pecking order is Emily, Jackie and then me. My parents were here over the weekend and Jackie’s dad is coming this weekend. It’s nice to have the family around.

Due to Rafi’s consistent high fevers, we had to have a CT scan this morning to see if there were any infections that the daily blood tests didn’t catch. This can be quite scary for an adult let alone a 2 year old, but Rafi handled it like a champ. She was a little scared but didn’t fight at all and stayed completely still. Jackie and I were very proud of her. The results came back negative. The cultures from the nasal swab also came back negative. So for the moment, everything is right in the world. She is retaining some fluid but the lasix is really taking care of that.

Rafi was more active today than she has been in a week. I attribute this to Emily. Rafi was talkative, playful and smiling. She even played a little golf with the physical therapist. But the thing I will remember most from today is that Rafi entered a larger world when she ate her first lollipop. Mucositis be damned, the lollipop wins.

Tomorrow we start looking at her ANC counts. ANC is the acronym for Absolute Neutrophil Count and it is a measure of the number of white blood cells that are neutrophils, which are the key components of a healthy immune system. A normal range is 1,500 – 8,000 (1.5 – 8.0). The first real milestone is to get her to a count of 500. Once we reach that number for a couple of days without a fever, we can leave the room and roam the hallway. That will be nice for Rafi. So let’s hope those neutrophils come in quickly.

I am going to sign off now and watch a little television, finish the laundry and then get some much needed sleep. Please don’t hesitate to ask us any question you want us to address.